Some years back while flying over the Appalachians, I heard a pilot on the frequency commenting to air traffic control that she thought her airspeed indicator was malfunctioning since it was wandering up and down by 20 knots.

The windsock indicated a direct and very strong crosswind as the clipped-wing J–3 Cub touched down on the runway. The pilot, Jimmy Gist, was doing a masterful job of putting the feather-light airplane down on its main wheels and tracking the centerline despite the stiff winter wind.

For such a tiny part of the airplane, the third wheel of a taildragger has a vicious bite if it's not treated with proper respect. "You can't get lazy in a tailwheel," instructor Ron Rapp explained early in 5G Aviation's tailwheel endorsement training program at Southern California's John Wayne Airport-Orange County.

At first glance, the loop looks like the simplest of all aerobatic maneuvers, but it’s really one of the more complex and involves much more than going fast and hauling back on the stick. The key to flying a loop properly is knowing where to look, and—hint!—it’s not just straight ahead.